Wrath
by fyd818
Summary: Theirs was a true love no one else could understand. That’s why he’d go to every extreme to get her back, no matter what the price. A one-shot JxA what if, had Breaking Dawn gone slightly differently. M for violence.


Disclaimer: I don't own _Twilight_ or any characters, places, things, or ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Stephenie Meyer, Little, Brown and Company publishers, and Summit Entertainment. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes only, not monetary gain of any sort.

Summary: Theirs was a true love no one else could understand. That's why he'd go to every extreme to get her back, no matter what the price. A one-shot JxA what if, had Breaking Dawn gone slightly differently. M for violence.

Rating: M

Warnings: Violence

Pairing: Jasper/Alice

Spoilers: _Eclipse_ and _Breaking Dawn_

Part: 1/1

**Dedication**: To _jewel of athos_, my twin sister, who encouraged me to write this. Thank you!! I hope you enjoy! -hugs-

**Author's Note**: The _Twilight_-minded muse has, unfortunately, mostly abandoned me as of recently, but this little fic popped into my head, so I decided to go for it before it abandons me again. I know there are a lot of _Breaking Dawn_ alternate fics out there, but this one happened to occur to me and I wanted to write it quickly. A quick one-shot about what would have happened had _BD_ gone slightly differently. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this fic! ~fyd

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**Wrath**

_fyd818_

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They took her.

Jasper Whitlock had felt true, red-hazing rage only a handful of times in his life. He never remembered much afterwards, just dim images of bloodlust and mindless killing tinged with a lingering sense of intense hatred. But this time everything was crystal clear: Aro and his power-hungry minions had stolen his Alice. And so help him, he was going to get her back.

Emmett saw the expression on his face and grabbed him, ducking away from Jasper's teeth as he took a snap at his brother in his single-minded effort to get to his wife, who was getting further and further away from him by the second. "Jasper!" The bear of a man refused to let go.

"I've got to get her back," Jasper grated out. "I'm _not _letting that -- that--" He couldn't find a word bad enough to describe Aro. At one time he had almost idolized the Volturi, admired them for doing whatever was necessary to keep the peace. But that was _before_ they'd taken Alice away from him. Now all his earlier admiration had turned into unbridled hatred for them.

Emmett shook him slightly. "Jasper, we all want her back, but--"

"Let him go."

That gave both of them pause. Jasper looked up at Edward, of all people, who was looking at him with a strange understanding on his face. "Let him go," he repeated. "He needs to do this."

Jasper shrugged off Emmett's hold, which had loosened with shock. He couldn't say anything -- there weren't any words to convey his thankfulness, anyway. He just simply nodded at his other brother, then took after the departing Volturi, ignoring the confusing surge of emotions that followed him until he was out of range.

It wasn't hard to follow the Volturi. They weren't trying to hide themselves, and Jasper had once been a _very_ good tracker in Maria's army, besides being her best fighter. Besides, he knew Alice's scent better than anyone else on the planet, and he could follow it even though it was mixed in with the stench of the Volturi.

There were a lot of things, and people, who he could blame for this. He could even blame himself, really, for it was him going after Bella at her birthday party that first set off the chain of events that led Bella to the Volturi's notice, which led to Alice's being taken. But at that moment, he laid the blame solely on the Volturi. They'd taken Alice. Somehow, someway, even if he had to fight every single one of them until he was dead or they were, he would get Alice back.

She'd saved him several times, mostly from himself. It was time he repaid the favor.

He knew when he was getting close to the Volturi. They were being quiet, but a group that size couldn't be completely silent. "Aro!" he yelled out, not caring that he was giving them advance warning of his approach.

When he caught up to them, Aro had paused, hovering slightly in front of his guard and entourage. His face wore an expression of almost tired amusement. "And so the Southerner comes to fight…" His bright red eyes cut sideways, to where Alice was standing, pulled tightly against Felix's chest, with his hand squeezing around her throat threateningly.

A low growl of warning rumbled deep in Jasper's chest. "Give. Her. Back." It was probably suicide to try to give the most powerful vampires in the world an order, but Jasper was beyond caring about the technicalities.

"Jasper…" Alice's voice was a mere whisper, but Jasper heard it. He always heard her. Her gold eyes were begging him not to push the Volturi, not to provoke them, but Jasper could too easily picture her eyes red, and it made him even angrier.

Jasper had always had trouble with the vegetarian diet. Alice had never really had such troubles, and she never needed to, or should. Especially if she were forced, which she would be if Aro took her away…

Aro laughed, long and low, as he lazily clapped his hands. "This is fabulous," he chuckled. "Absolutely fabulous." Behind him, Marcus and Caius were staring at him like he was crazy, but Aro didn't seem to notice. He took another step forward, but stayed well out of Jasper's reach. "You see -- Jasper, isn't it? -- I've seen and heard what your lovely wife has seen and heard. I know all about you. Unfortunately she wasn't around when you fought in the South, but her memories of you telling her intrigue me. Obviously you must be quite the soldier to have survived for that long, and still be alive today."

_What's the point?_ Jasper was listening, but he hadn't taken his eyes off Alice. He wouldn't put it past Aro to try to gain his attention talking while having his underlings try to sneak Alice away.

The amused expression melted off Aro's face. "Let's just say that I am curious to see those fighting skills in person," he said, almost casually. "I propose a deal. My best fighter will face you, and you will both fight with no interference, power-driven or otherwise, until one or the other of you wins. If my fighter wins, I get Alice. If you win…" He shrugged. "You may take her back home and live in peace." He must have seen the suspicion that immediately flared on Jasper's face, because he said, "No catch. I give you my word."

Though Jasper didn't trust the Volturi, not really, he knew that Aro was still bound by certain laws, and that his word given couldn't be taken back, at least not for a while. When and if that became an issue… Well, he planned to be long gone with Alice by then. The only thing he hated was how Aro was trying to use Alice as a pawn, a bargaining chip -- a piece of currency. But he had no choice. He couldn't take on all of the Volturi by himself, no matter how much he wished he could. And he _had_ to get her back, despite the fact that Alice's face and eyes and emotions were begging him to turn around and walk away and leave her in the clutches of one of the most evil, twisted men ever to exist. "We have an accord," Jasper said, albeit reluctantly.

Aro smiled. It was not a nice smile, making it clear that he was sure that he, through one of his pawns, would win. "Very well." Before he had even turned around to look at the others under his command, Felix had said, "I'll fight him." There was a truly wicked gleam in his ruby eyes, and his emotions were so vile that Jasper could hardly stand to be within range of them.

Shrugging, Aro nodded his agreement and permission as another vampire almost as big as Emmett stepped forward to hold on to Alice. Felix smirked and came forward to face Jasper as the others made a ring around the two, a spectator's court, so to speak. This was nothing more than sport to Aro and his minions. It made Jasper sick. In the end, the Volturi were really no better than Maria and her army were…

He looked up toward Alice one more time to strengthen himself. But the expression on her face and the tenor of her emotions made him have to look away quickly. With all of her being, Alice was trying to dissuade him from the fight. But he would not be dissuaded. He _would_ win. He would save her. He had to.

Felix strolled forward, confidence in his step. He was quite certain of his ability to destroy Jasper, and it was obvious he wasn't expecting any trouble.

Jasper was going to give him the fight of his life. In fact, he was having trouble reining in his power, keeping himself from projecting his hatred and rage onto the other vampire. He wanted to make the fight as quick and easy as possible -- though he didn't plan on making Felix's death a painless one.

For a moment the two circled, sizing each other up, analyzing strengths and weaknesses. It was almost frightening how quickly Jasper fell into the old routine, his old abilities. Despite the fact that he had come to hate his natural propensity for warfare, bolstered by his vampire instincts, he knew that all those years in Maria's army would help him here. He forced himself to give in to it, though he held back a fractional amount. He had to keep himself under control, from going completely berserker.

Another thing his years of war experience had granted Jasper was his patience. He knew when to attack, and when to wait for his opponent to attack. He'd pegged Felix as the impatient type, one who wouldn't wait long to attack. He'd been right.

Felix lunged, a flurry of snatching limbs and snapping teeth, but Jasper easily avoided his first offensive. He expended very little energy on defense, instead depending on his experience, natural abilities, and speed for the advantage. He would wait for just the right time…

Backing off, Felix sneered. Either he was actually stupid enough to believe his words, or he was trying to cover the fear that was simmering deep inside him, because he said, "A coward, are you? Or perhaps you don't really love little Alice as much as you say you do. All you do is avoid, avoid -- why don't you do something useful, like attack me?"

Jasper growled, but refused to be baited. Patience would win him this battle. He knew it. He just had to be patient…

Too bad patience had never come easily for him. It was hard-fought and hard-earned, and he had to hang on to it. He couldn't afford to lose this fight. _Alice_ couldn't afford for him to lose this fight.

Felix attacked again, not just with his body, but with his emotions. Jasper didn't waver beneath the double onslaught, steadily trading blows with the other vampire even as he avoided his teeth. He wasn't ready to bring in his own yet -- he had to bide his time…

He heard a gasp -- _Alice_ -- as he misjudged a distance and Felix's teeth raked across his forearm. Jerking back, Jasper growled as he tried to shake off the burning sting. His skin was riddled with scars from other vampires, and this was yet another. Though he'd made a good attempt, Felix hadn't taken a chunk of skin or the entire arm, like he'd been trying. His minor success had, however, emboldened him. That was something Jasper didn't need.

_Patience, patience…_ He wanted so badly to look at Alice, but he didn't dare. He had to keep his entire focus and attention on his opponent. The slightest slip would mean death for him, and a living death for Alice.

Felix's next attack was the most vicious yet. He snapped and tore and growled, charging for every opening Jasper offered. Most were deliberately presented, and the few that weren't were very sore losses for Jasper. It succeeded in making him fight harder, stepping up his own intensity as he met the other blow for blow.

Jasper's patience paid off with his first small victory. He feinted to the left, drawing Felix toward the open target of his back that he presented deliberately. When the other charged eagerly toward it, he ducked low and spun, latching onto Felix's arm as he went, using the Volturi guard's own momentum to wrench it from its shoulder. He threw it aside as he dropped out of his own momentum into a fighting stance, smiling grimly at Felix's howl of pain even as he ignored the murmur of surprise, suspicion, and anger that rippled through the Volturi.

Felix hissed, a long, low sound that leaked between his teeth like air out of a hose. "You'll pay for that," he growled. "Rather -- your wife will." Despite his obvious pain, his lips twisted into a supercilious smirk of triumph.

Despite the extra jolt of rage that shocked through Jasper, he once more refused to allow himself to be baited. The time he gave into Felix's taunting would be the time he lost. He hadn't won yet -- not by a long shot -- but he'd managed to turn things in his favor. He wouldn't lose that advantage, not now. Not when he was getting closer to his goal… "Why don't you finish me off first?" he said, deciding to use a bit of taunting himself.

Felix's smile grew. "With pleasure." He lunged again, and even with only one arm, he was still a very good fighter. It was obvious why Aro had brought him into the Guard -- Maria would have destroyed all of Texas, human and vampire alike, to possess such a fighter for her own army.

But he wasn't good enough.

Jasper kneed Felix in the gut on the way past, folding the vampire in half. He'd deliberately placed himself on the side with the man's one remaining arm, which he snagged on his way. Spinning around, he drove his knee into the Felix's exposed spine as he simultaneously yanked backwards on his arm, which tore away with a stone-on-stone screech that echoed through the woods.

He heard a growl that might have come from Aro, but that didn't stop him. Aro had started this, and Jasper was going to end it. Felix put up as much of a fight as he could, but it wasn't nearly enough. He'd only managed to land a few bites on Jasper, who was completely intact. He had no hope of winning now.

Stepping back from the remains, Jasper turned to face Aro, shaking off the residual pain from Felix's bites and trying to swallow back the guilt that was right on the heels of his anger. He had never wanted to kill again…

Aro wasn't looking at Jasper, or even at Alice. He was staring at Felix, or what was left of him anyway, with narrow, blazing red eyes. His jaw was tight with anger and disgust. With a quick, sharp movement, he motioned one of his closest Guard forward. "Dispose of that," he said, motioning toward Felix as if it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen.

The vampire obeyed immediately. Jasper didn't watch, instead shifting his eyes to Alice. He held her gaze so she wouldn't, either. He knew she'd seen her (un)fair share of violence, but he didn't want her to see this.

For another moment Aro watched, until his orders were carried out. Then he shifted his eyes to Jasper. "Well." There was a lot of weight in that word, and it wasn't good.

Jasper said nothing. He wondered what the other, older, vampire's next move would be. If he were smart, if he had even a shred of dignity inside him, he would honor the agreement he had put forth. But he was ready, just in case…

Without looking away from Jasper, Aro snapped his fingers. "Let the lady go. The Southerner has won, fair and square, as I believe the Americans say."

The brute holding Alice looked almost surprised, but did as ordered. He let go of Alice, stepping away and opening the way between her and Jasper. The latter didn't move, suddenly frozen on the spot. He had to let Alice come to him.

She didn't look away from him, but he could tell that she was testing the future with her gift. Suddenly she started moving, slowly and steadily placing one foot in front of the other until she stood before him, her face tilted up, eyes studying his with a gleam he couldn't identify. She was keeping her emotions completely flat, so he couldn't read her.

Jasper didn't let down his guard, still suspicious of the Volturi. But he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and enfolding Alice into the safety of his arms, relishing the solid feel of her against him, inhaling her unique scent of lavender, lilac, and strawberry. "Alice…" Her name wrenched from his throat. He couldn't say anything else, he just used his power of projection to make sure she felt how _much_ he loved her. How happy he was she had been returned to him.

Suddenly she pulled away from him, but she kept firm hold of his hand as she turned. "Our family?" she asked. There was a darkness in her voice Jasper had never heard before.

Aro pursed his lips, as if in deep thought. "I cannot renege," he said at last, with obvious reluctance. "Alice came with me, as was agreed, to save her family. You fought for her, as you agreed, to rescue her. You both held up your ends of the bargain, and -- I must uphold my own." It was obvious by the expression on his face that he hated, straight to the core of his being, having to say those words. "But know this -- I _will_ be watching you all. _Very_ closely." Without another word, he turned and headed deeper into the forest, the rest of the Volturi silently following like wraiths into the shadows.

Jasper had felt the sincerity of Aro's emotions as he had said those words. Though he meant the last as a threat, he also meant what he'd said about upholding his end of the bargain. For now, he would leave Alice, Jasper, and their family alone. For now, that was enough of a victory for him.

They both waited until the Volturi were out of sight, then hearing distance. At last Alice relaxed. "They really are heading back to Volterra," she said softly.

Now that it was all over, a different kind of fear crept into Jasper. He took a step back from Alice, giving her more space though all he wanted to do was grasp her in his arms and never let go again. But he was afraid, so afraid… He had briefly returned to the killer he'd been before he met her. She knew about that side of him, but she had never seen it. He'd hoped she never would see it. And though he would fight for Alice again, a thousand times over if necessary, he wished she had never had to see him like _that_…

Suddenly her hands were cupping his face, and her shining gold eyes were staring intensely up at him. "Stop that," she whispered simply. And then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "_I love you exactly the way you are_." Her emotions, fiercely honest, backed up her words, washing away his own doubts and guilt.

Jasper cradled her face in his hands, re-memorizing her features. Despite his perfect memory, he drank in every part of her, solidifying his mental picture of her. He had come too close to losing her. It would not happen again. "I love you." The words were too simple to convey what he truly meant, and even his power was not enough.

Alice understood. Her smile, as brilliant as the sun, reflected back every wordless thing he felt and meant. Grasping his hand tightly, she looked away, back in the direction they'd come what felt like a century before. "We should go," she whispered. "The family will be worried."

It was extremely selfish of him, but Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice once more and held her tightly but carefully against him. "Let them worry for another few minutes," he said, and kissed her again.

Theirs was a true love no one else could understand. That's why he'd go to every extreme to get her back, no matter what the price.

_~The End~_

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_**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!**_


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